


There's No Shame In Dreaming

by phantomthief_fee



Category: Bendy and the Ink Machine
Genre: Aftermath of Violence, BATIM Chapter 5, Bullying, F/M, I'm assuming Henry and Linda are Jewish, Injury, Jewish Character, Mental Health Issues, So their daughter and granddaughter are too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-26
Updated: 2018-11-26
Packaged: 2019-08-29 17:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,766
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16748506
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/phantomthief_fee/pseuds/phantomthief_fee
Summary: Henry's granddaughter has known Joey Drew for most of her life, but it takes a long time for her to truly know who he is.





	There's No Shame In Dreaming

**Author's Note:**

  * For [DisneyPhantomlover](https://archiveofourown.org/users/DisneyPhantomlover/gifts).



I still have feelings about Chapter 5, and [@disneyphantomlover](https://tmblr.co/mtxWKjFluVA2ChP3UkW9yuw) had an amazing [theory](http://disneyphantomlover.tumblr.com/post/179492428199/just-have-my-own-theory-on-the-ch-5-ending), so I wanted to write something for it. I dipped into myself quite a bit for the character of Henry’s granddaughter. I also dipped into my own version of Joey a bit. 

* * *

You’re 7 years old and your favorite thing in the world is making up stories. You don’t write them down most of the time, although you think your mother does sometimes. She likes sharing them with your Grandpa Henry and Grandma Linda. Grandpa Henry always praises your creativity. Grandma Linda says you’re just like Grandpa Henry. You know Grandpa Henry made cartoons a long time ago, although he doesn’t talk about it all that much. He worked for Uncle Joey. Uncle Joey technically isn’t related to you, but he’s Grandpa Henry’s friend so he’s pretty much part of the family. He lives close by, along with Grandpa Henry, so you visit him a lot. Uncle Joey can be kind of awkward sometimes like he doesn’t know how to talk to you. You like him anyway. He always listens to your stories. A lot of adults don’t like listening to your stories. 

He has cool posters around his house too. Grandpa Henry has posters like that, posters of characters you don’t quite recognize. They’re not like the Disney characters you’re used to. Grandpa Henry talks about working for Uncle Joey on the cartoons sometimes, but he never talks about it enough to satisfy your curiosity. So, one day, when Grandpa Henry has dropped you off at Uncle Joey’s house, you ask him about it. You want to know what happened at the studio. You know it closed down at some point, but you don’t know why. You know about the ink machine in Uncle Joey’s house too, even if you don’t know what it does. Uncle Joey gets a faraway look in his eyes. 

“I haven’t thought about that in a long time.” He says. You sit there patiently, arms folded, waiting for him to continue. 

“Are you sure you wouldn’t rather hear a different story?” He asks. 

“No. I want to hear about this.” You insist. Uncle Joey smiles wearily, shaking his head and muttering something about you being just like your grandfather. Then he begins. The story he tells you details your grandfather returning to the studio after getting a letter from Uncle Joey himself. The details are bare, and the only other person he mentions is the janitor, Wally. You don’t know much about Wally, but he sends Uncle Joey and Grandpa Henry letters sometimes. You saw a picture of him once and you think he dresses weird. Your father laughs and tells you that that’s the fashion in Florida. 

“When are you going to tell me the rest?” You demand as Uncle Joey finishes. You’re rather unsatisfied with the story he’s told you. 

“When you’re older.” He tells you. You huff, but Grandpa Henry is walking in to pick you up.

.

You’re 8, about to turn 9, and you’re standing outside of Uncle Joey’s house in the rain, crying so hard you can barely breathe. You know you should have gone home, but your day has been pretty rough. Some boys at school threw your notebook in a puddle and ripped out a bunch of the pages. Uncle Joey gave you the notebook as a present for your birthday. It was really nice, with the cover made of real leather with your name embossed on it and everything. You’re worried your parents will be mad at you. You’re not supposed to bring the notebook to school because it’s expensive and it was a gift. You knock on Uncle Joey’s door, trying to will yourself to stop crying. Uncle Joey opens the door, dressed in pajamas and a bathrobe. He always seems to wear that sort of thing when you come over, even though you’ve seen pictures of him in suits and he has lots of nice clothes in his closet. He takes one look at you and drags you inside. 

“You could have caught your death of cold.” He’s scolding you as he gets some towels and wraps you up in blankets on the couch, but you feel better just being here. 

“What happened?” He asks once you’re safe and dry and bundled up in blankets. Your heart sinks because now you have to tell him what happened to the notebook he gave you. You sniffle as you dig out the dirty and disheveled notebook from your bag, holding it out to him with your head hung in shame. Uncle Joey takes the book from you, turning it over and clicking his tongue. 

“I’m assuming you didn’t do this to it yourself.” He says. You shake your head, trying not to cry. 

“Some boys at school saw me writing in it and took it.” Your lip is quivering as you fight back tears. “I wasn’t supposed to take it to school and now it’s ruined. I’m sorry, Uncle Joey.” Uncle Joey kneels down in front of you, putting his free hand on your shoulder. 

“Sweetheart, it’s alright.” He gives you a smile. “I can get the journal fixed.” 

“B-But it was really expensive and-” Your parents told you to be careful with it because they said Uncle Joey had spent a lot of money on it. But Uncle Joey cuts you off. 

“It wasn’t your fault. I know you’ve been very careful with it in the past and I’m certain you will continue to be careful with it.” He says. 

“You’re…You’re really not mad?” You were so sure he would be angry. But then again, you don’t think you’ve ever seen Uncle Joey get mad before. 

“I’m really not.” He reassures you. “Now, let’s call your parents, alright?”

“Okay.”

.

You’re 10 years old and you’ve actually done some research about the studio. Well, you call it research, but it was mostly pestering Grandpa Henry into showing you more drawings and posters and letting you listen to some music from the show. You know now that the person who composed those songs is Sammy Lawrence. Grandpa Henry used to get letters from him when you were younger. Grandma Linda says Grandpa Henry has a studio portrait somewhere in the house, although she thinks it’s packed away in the attic. Your mother thinks she remembers meeting Sammy once, although she’s not sure. Your father knows very little of the people from the studio. Armed with this new information, you demand to hear more of the story of the studio. Uncle Joey looks up from his knitting, Grandma Linda has started teaching him so he has something to do with his hands, and chuckles. 

“You really are Henry’s granddaughter.”

“You always say that.” You fold your arms. “Are you going to tell the story or not?”

“Alright, alright.” Uncle Joey sets his knitting down and starts telling the story all over again. The story seems different this time, but maybe that’s because it’s been a while since you’ve heard the story. Or maybe Uncle Joey is just embellishing things. He does that a lot. Wally appears again as Uncle Joey takes you down to the music department, as well at the projectionist Norman Polk. Your mother remembers going to a funeral for Norman when she was a teenager, so you know what happened to him. Still, you find it interesting to hear about him. 

“Did Wally really lose his keys that often?” You ask. 

“Well, I wasn’t there all the time,” Uncle Joey admits. “But Sammy always brought it up when he came to complain to me.” You can’t help but feel a little intimidated by Sammy, even if it’s just in a story. He reminds you of stern teachers you’ve had who don’t like how often you end up daydreaming in class. You try to distract yourself by asking about Alice Angel. You’ve seen her on the posters and when Uncle Joey tells the story of the music department, he mentions her and a woman named Susie Campbell. You’ve heard her name before, but you’re not sure where. 

“Maybe another time.” Uncle Joey says. His smile suddenly seems forced, like he finds it hard to talk about her. Part of you wants to push him for answers, but you decide not to. You don’t like making Uncle Joey sad. 

.

You’re 12 years old. You have a few friends you’re close to, and you like them a lot, but they’re a lot more outgoing than you are. You don’t see them too much outside of school, although you did invite all of them to your Bat Mitzvah. The boys at school are picking on you even more now. They tease you about your appearance a lot. You had to get braces that year, so that’s something they really like pointing out. It makes the whole thing even worse. You keep to yourself most of the time. You like spending your time in the library, curled up in a corner. The librarians like you and remember which books are your favorites. You’re a bit of a morbid child. You read a lot of horror stories, despite the librarians warning you that they might be gruesome. You don’t speak up all that much in class, preferring to lose yourself in your own little world. You’re just not interested in most of the subjects. Your parents are worried about you. 

“Sweetheart, it just seems like you’re not applying yourself.” Your mother says when your report card comes in. You’ve been getting mostly B’s with an occasional C. 

“Give her a break, Sarah.” Grandpa Henry says. “I was the same way when I was a kid.”

“I’m just worried about her, Dad.” Your mother glances back toward you. You’re hunched up in a corner, writing in your notebook. It’s a cheap notebook. You keep Uncle Joey’s notebook at home, using it only for special ideas. 

“She’ll be alright.” Grandma Linda assures your mother. “School isn’t everything, dear.” 

“I guess you’re right.” Your mother sighs and shakes her head. “I just want her to be able to function well in the world.” Your father is at work right now, but you’re sure he’d say something similar. Your parents tell you all the time that pursuing a career in the arts really isn’t realistic. They tell you it doesn’t pay well. Just look at what happened to Uncle Joey’s studio, they say. Grandpa Henry and Uncle Joey always come to your defense when your parents start talking like this. 

“She’s 12.” Grandpa Henry says. “She doesn’t need to have her whole life figured out. Let her do what she enjoys for now.” 

“They mean well.” Grandma Linda tells you when you’re alone. “They just want you to be safe and happy, and they think you won’t be happy if you don’t make money.” You just nod. You don’t really care about money. You don’t care about having a job. You just want to do what makes you happy. 

.

You’re 14 years old. You know the world is cruel. The boys at school push you into puddles when they can find them, or take your supplies and hide them. You got in trouble when you knocked out the front teeth of a book who decided to flip your skirt. You just finished reading Frankenstein in its entirety. You’re at your Uncle Joey’s apartment. You don’t want to go home because the boys at school beat you up that day for what you did to the boy who flipped your skirt. 

“You need to tell your parents.” Uncle Joey says as he gives you a bag of ice to put on your face. 

“They’re already mad about me getting in trouble.” You mutter, staring sullenly down at your feet. “They said it’s not ladylike.” Uncle Joey sighs, settling down beside you. 

“They mean well.” He says. 

“Everyone says that.” You hunch your shoulders. “It doesn’t feel like they do. Nothing I do is ever good enough.”

“They love you, they do.” Uncle Joey puts an arm around your shoulder and pulls you into a hug. “Sarah and David just worry, is all.” You draw into yourself. 

“Did you ever get bullied when you were little?” You ask after a moment or two. Uncle Joey laughs. He has a nice laugh. It always makes you feel better when you hear him laugh. It’s big and booming most of the time, although it’s gotten weaker over the years. 

“Oh, I certainly did.” He chuckles. “I was never all that popular in school. I was a bit of a bratty child if I’m being honest. And it didn’t help that I was almost always sick.”

“So you got beat up a lot?”

“Quite a bit.”

“Were your parents mad at you?”

“Only when it was my fault.” Uncle Joey says. “Because it was my fault sometimes. I had a big mouth.”

“Do you…Do you think I deserve it?” Your voice is quiet as you huddle into Uncle Joey. 

“You’re a good kid.” He pats your head. “I don’t think you’d ever deserve it.” You both sit in silence for a few moments.

“Will you tell me about Alice Angel now?” You finally ask. 

Uncle Joey tenses a bit at the name, but he sighs and nods his head. “I suppose you’re old enough for it now.” 

You look up at him, trying to hide your excitement. You’ve waited so long to finally learn about who Alice Angel and Susie Campbell are. Uncle Joey begins to tell the story again, from the beginning. You think you remember this story differently. Boris isn’t a monster, he’s just a slightly selfish wolf. You were excited to hear about him at the end of Chapter 2, and now you get to see him again in Chapter 3. This chapter is longer than the others, so long you almost fall asleep. You learn about the Butcher Gang, the villains of the Bendy cartoons. Here, they’re nothing but mindless creatures, without voices and without purpose.  And you finally hear about Alice Angel. In Uncle Joey’s story, she’s a selfish and vain being, marred by the Ink Demon and driven to insanity. This what he thinks of Susie Campbell, apparently. You’re surprised at the bitterness in his voice when he speaks of Susie. You’ve never heard him sound so angry before. In passing, he mentions Thomas Connor as well, which is a name you know. Mr. Connor’s wife sometimes sends Uncle Joey letters. You’ve never met her, but Uncle Joey says she’s a lovely woman. The story ends abruptly, with Alice stealing Boris away. 

“That can’t be it!” You say, grabbing Uncle Joey’s arm. “What’s the rest? What happens to Boris?”

“It’s getting late, my dear.” Uncle Joey pats your head. “It’s been a long day and I’m feeling tired. You should be getting home too.”

“But…” You trail off, knowing full well that he’s right. You slid off the couch, gathering up your school bag from where you left it beside the door. 

“Dear?” You stop and look back at Uncle Joey. 

“There’s something I want you to remember, darling.” His expression is worn, almost mournful. “Grownups aren’t always right. We make mistakes, just like you do. But we don’t always want to admit to it. Don’t fault your parents when they’re wrong, help them be better.” You’re not sure what he means by this, but you nod before darting outside. 

.

You’re 15 years old. You don’t go to Uncle Joey to get a story this time. He’s in the hospital. He goes there sometimes when his health gets particularly bad. You don’t have school that day, so you’ve gone to visit him in his hospital room. Since your parents are both working, Grandpa Henry agrees to take you. Grandma Linda comes along too. She wants to bring Uncle Joey his knitting so he has something to do while he’s in the hospital. 

“If he doesn’t have something to do, he’ll end up complaining to all the nurses.” Grandma Linda sighs as you all walk up to the hospital. 

“I think they’re used to him by now.” Grandpa Henry laughs to himself. You hold your notebook close to your chest. You’ve come up with a new story idea that you want to share with Uncle Joey. Within the past year, you’ve gotten really into Norse Mythology and you want to write some kind of story with it. You really like the goddess Hel, even if there isn’t a lot of information about her. 

Uncle Joey is sitting up in his bed, reading glasses perched on his nose as he skims a book. In the quiet moments, you can’t help but notice how old and frail Uncle Joey looks. You try not to think about it too much. You’ve never actually had someone close to you die before. You don’t really want to have that happen either. 

“Well, it looks like you’re amusing yourself.” Grandma Linda says. “I guess I didn’t  **need**  to bring your knitting.” Uncle Joey immediately looks up, his whole face splitting in a grin. 

“Goodness! Did you all come here just to visit little old me?”

“She wanted to visit you.” Grandpa Henry pushes you forward gently. “We just came along because she needed transportation.” You smiled and run over to him, throwing your arms around Uncle Joey. 

“I missed you.” You say. Uncle Joey’s expression softens and he pats your head. 

“I missed you too, dear.” 

Grandpa Henry and Grandma Linda exchange a look before setting down the knitting and leaving the room. You sit down in the chair next to Uncle Joey’s bed, opening up your book. 

“I got a really good idea for a story.” You say, flipping to the proper page. “Do you want to hear about it?”

“I’d love to.” He smiles at you.

You spend the next hour excitedly telling Uncle Joey about your story idea. He listens quietly, watching you with a soft smile. When you finish, Uncle Joey nods thoughtfully. 

“Do you want to hear more of the story?” He asks. You blink. 

“Really? Are you sure?”

“You told me a story, so I should return the favor.” He nods. He takes your hand in his and begins once more. The story is a bit lacking this time, but you know that’s because he’s tired and you’re happy to listen anyway. You hear about people you didn’t know about, like Jack Fain, and people you already know, like Grant Cohen. He shortens Chapter 3 because you’re both tired and he knows his audience. When he reaches Chapter 4, you learn how sorrowful the ink creatures are, how much they’ve suffered. You learn about Bertrum Piedmont and Uncle Joey’s plan to build an amusement park. 

_And you realize your Uncle Joey was a horrible, horrible person._

You’re very quiet when he finished. Grandpa Henry and Grandma Linda come back because the sun is setting and they need to get you home. 

“Why don’t we get some food on the way home?” Grandma Linda suggests as she takes you by the hand. You cling to her hand, nodding and feeling very much like a small child again. Grandpa Henry notices your silence, giving Uncle Joey a knowing glance. Then you all leave. 

.

It takes you a long time in order to ask Uncle Joey for the end of the story. Life gets in the way. You’re 18 years old. You just graduated high school and are going to college in the fall. You’ve had a lot of talks with your parents about your future and they understand now. They want you to be happy. And you are happy, to a certain extent. You’re excited to go to college, to be something more than you currently are. Grandpa Henry took you out to lunch that day to celebrate your graduation and now you’re at Uncle Joey’s apartment. Grandpa Henry wanted to check on Uncle Joey. You don’t mind too much. You’re sitting on the couch in the living room while Uncle Joey and Grandpa Henry do the dishes in the kitchen. Uncle Joey’s sickness has been getting worse as of late, but despite it all, he refuses to be weak or helpless. You’ve been doing a lot of thinking about your Uncle Joey since the last story he told you. 

It’s strange, knowing these two sides of him. On one hand, he’s the Uncle Joey you grew up with. He supported your interests throughout the years, always taking your side and making sure you never feel as though you’re worthless. On the other hand, he’s Joey Drew, the man who drove his studio into the ground and never cared about his employees. When you first arrived at his apartment that day, Grandpa Henry had to step out to get something Uncle Joey needed, so he told you the last bit of the story.

“I’m not sure I want to know the rest.” You say as Uncle Joey sits down beside you. 

“Don’t you want to know how it ends?” Uncle Joey smiles wearily. “Every story needs an ending, doesn’t it?”

“It does.” You nod. 

He doesn’t embellish or explain anything this time. You have to read between the lines a little bit. You have nothing to fear from Sammy Lawrence anymore. It’s been years, and he doesn’t even know you exist. You know he’s probably dead anyway. You learn a bit more about Wally Franks, and how his feud with Sammy started. Apparently, Wally had stolen a chocolate cake from Sammy. You can’t help but laugh a little at this. It does sound like something Wally would do. You recognize Mr. and Mrs. Connor as the survivor angel and her loyal wolf. You don’t know them well enough to know if this portrayal is right. Just bits and pieces. But that’s what this story is, just bits and pieces. You waited too long, and Uncle Joey’s memory isn’t what it used to be. This is the end. There won’t be any more chapters. 

You watch Uncle Joey and Grandpa Henry in the kitchen and smile to yourself. You’re older now. You know the world is cruel and life is unfair. But there is happiness. Your Grandpa Henry chose happiness, and he allowed Uncle Joey to experience it as well. You decide you won’t ask for any more stories about the studio. You open up your notebook, placing your pen on the page. You think you know just the right story to tell now. One with a happy ending. 


End file.
